


The Pocket Games

by Skizzlers



Series: The Pockethog Games [1]
Category: Pockethog - Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:21:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26978011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skizzlers/pseuds/Skizzlers
Summary: A mysterious being has gathered members of the Pockethog Discord and has pit them against each other in the Hunger Games.
Series: The Pockethog Games [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968817
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome

'Twas a lovely evening in June - the sun was setting, staining the clouds a peachy tone before dissolving into pink. Inside her home, Skizzlers was scribbling away on her latest project. Eyes narrowed, she smirked as she looked at her latest creation - a painting of Shadow the Hedgehog. He was locked in a capsule and his face was contorted by shock and grief. 'Perfect,' she whispered to herself as she sent the painting to the Pockethog discord.

As she hit the button, she began to feel a strange tingling in her fingers that spread up through her arms. Bewildered, she looked through her translucent hands. Am I- am I disappearing? Her breathing began to quicken as she tried to understand what was happening. Her vision darkened, and the room was left empty.

Skizzlers' eyes snapped wide open as she drew in a sharp gasp. She shot up, every muscle in her body tense as she tried to comprehend what was happening. She could see herself, but everything else was an incomprehensible void.

"Oh hey! You're here!" A voice piped up as Skizzlers felt arms grab around her waist. She looked down to see a round face with electric blue hair and soft brown eyes staring up at her.

"Snix?" Skizzlers spoke shakily "Where the hell are we?"

"Oh, I have no idea, but Raven's here too!" they offered with a wide grin as they pointed to a tall shadowy figure several feet away. Raven was silent, eyes glancing about the darkness trying to make out something, anything. All three of them turned as they heard a voice call out.

"Hello? Is anybody out there?" Two figures came into view from the shadows - one being backhanded by the other.

"What makes you think anything we find in here will be friendly, dumbass?"

The shorter of the two pointed at the trio and retorted, "well that, for starters."

Skizzlers chuckled and relaxed her shoulders. "Professor? Zagreus?"

"The one and only," Zagreus responded with a mischievous grin before being hugged by Snix. Unsure of how to respond, he patted them on the head before they went to hug Professor.

"I've always wanted to meet you guys! You guys are so cool!" Snix shouted, bouncing with excitement.

"Seems we're starting a party of sorts." Novia piped up. "Mind if I join?"

“Heck yeah!” Snix shouted before hugging her as well.

Before they knew it, quite the group had amassed – Mooms, Lavender, Rusty, Twigs, Whipple, Veemers, Light, and Skye were there as well. Spot and Shura approached the group hand in hand as Floof ran from the shadows to hug Skizzlers. “Hey Mom!”

“Oh, hey hon,” She smiled.

Further away, Raven stood as still and as silent as when she had first appeared. 

“What’s wrong, bird? Afraid to smile?” Zagreus quipped.

She looked over with an aggravated glare. “Do not patronize me,” she warned with a voice as cold as ice.

Zagreus chuckled. “Don’t worry, I had to learn to be nice, too.”

“It is not only that,” she growled. “Does this not seem strange to you? Where are we? Why are we here? How do we escape?”

“You’re right,” he responded, smile fading. “I don’t trust this much either.”

As if in response to Zagreus’ comment, maniacal laughter broke out. It reverberated from the unseen walls of the void and shook everyone to their core with fear. Skizzlers held Floof, Lavender and Rusty close to her and Shura clung to Spot. “Welcome, welcome, welcome,” the voice proclaimed with no hint of sanity. “You’re all probably wondering why I brought you here today,” the voice was interrupted by another laughing fit. “Go on, guess! I’ll give you three guesses!” 

The group was deathly silent before Snix shouted. “Are we having a party?” Their constant bouncing was a stark contrast to everyone else’s stillness.

That crazed laughter burst through the silence again. “A party? Far from it my dear!” More laughter ensued. “Two more guesses!”

Now even Snix was silent. What could this mysterious being want from them? They were only a random assortment of teenagers.

“You’d better not hurt my mom!” Floof yelled at the voice. “I’ll break your kneecaps!”

“Oooh, I love the feisty ones!” The voice cackled once more. The voice lowered to a sinister growl. “One more guess.”

“Fuck you and your guessing games,” Skizzlers spoke up with a stern voice. “Just tell us what the hell you want.”

“Oh, why must you ruin my fun?” The voice rumbled. A few moments of silence, and it continued. “I have brought you all here to play a game.” The teens looked at each other nervously. “Oh it’s a wondrous game to challenge your mettle and see your full capabilities.” the laughter was low and sinister this time, a sharp contrast to the manic cackling of before. “My darlings, have you ever heard of the Hunger Games?” The voice’s manic tempo returned as if fueled by the horror and dread the group felt. “The only way out of this world of mine is through death.” Laughter interrupted the voice once again. “Only one of you will remain, and to them the ultimate prize will be bestowed.” Manic laughter rung out once again and echoed into a sinister growl. “Happy hunger games, and may the odds be ever in your favor.”


	2. First Blood

Skizzlers blacked out again, opening her eyes to complete darkness. ‘Dear god, what the hell is happening?’ she thought to herself, breath quickening once more. A hatch opened above her, letting light flood into the narrow capsule. The pedestal she stood on began to rise, carrying her towards the daylight. It was overwhelming at first – she raised her arms to block the blinding light. When the pedestal came to a stop she uncovered her eyes and blinked several times. Blurry forms started to take shape as her eyes adjusted. Approximately twenty feet away she recognized Lavender standing on a similar pedestal. She looked to Skizzlers with eyes full of terror. Even with the distance between them Skizzlers could tell she was trembling. ‘What the hell have we pissed off?’ she wondered, turning to see Mooms on the other side of her.

The cornucopia was before them. Spears, swords, and an assortment of other weapons glittered in the sunlight, enticing any who dared to take them. Above the entrance, a timer could be seen counting down.

23-

22-

21-

Skizzlers felt as if she might puke. ‘Does this thing really expect us to kill each other? How could I possibly lay a finger on any one of them? Are any of them actually thinking of hurting anyone?’ She desperately tried to get her breathing under control. 

9-

8-

7-

She let out a long breath. ‘I must protect who I can.’

3-

2-

1-

Approximately half of the contestants ran away into the forest surrounding the clearing – a smart choice, but Skizzlers knew that if she was going to survive, she needed a weapon. She ran towards the spears. Light raced past, snatching a bow and a backpack before sprinting into the forest. Skye decked Dragon by the knives and pinned them before Dragon stabbed them in the side. Skye’s scream was not the only one to be heard, but Skizzlers pressed on. She snatched a spear as Zagreus took a sword. They glanced at each other a moment before Skizzlers panicked and whacked him in the back of the head with her spear. She grabbed a bag lying on the ground and ran around the edge of the cornucopia, looking over her shoulder to make sure Zagreus didn’t follow her. She sprinted into the forest and down a hill. 

She was nearly a mile away before adrenaline wore off and she began to feel her lungs sting. She doubled over, wheezing. Dropping to her knees, gasping transitioned to sobbing. ‘Dear god, this is really happening – the screams, the blood-’ She retched. Her sobbing returned to gasping, and slowly her breathing normalized. “Goddammit,” her voice cracked. She wiped tears from her eyes and looked around the ravine she was in. ‘I can’t let this get to me or I won’t be able to help anyone. I need to find water.’

~~~  
“Fuck,” Novia breathed as she surveyed the small group left. Mooms sat in the fetal position, clutching the sides of her head, the horror of what was happening setting in. Skye leaned against the wall of the cornucopia clutching her side - now slick with blood - while Zagreus stood over Dragon’s body, frozen in horror of what he had done. Dragon lay still, sword lodged in her chest. Zagreus nearly jumped out of his own skin as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Novia looked at him with a sad understanding in her eyes. “It will be okay, you were just trying to protect Skye,” she spoke softly. Zagreus shuddered, and walked away. She solemnly watched him go, and turned to see Snix tending to Skye’s wound. It was the first time she had ever seen them silent.

Novia wiped her face, trying to bring herself back to reality. She knelt next to Dragon. ‘Why did this happen? What sick son of a bitch would pit a bunch of kids against each other?’ Tears began to roll down her cheek as she looked into Dragon’s misty eyes. She took the sword from Dragon’s chest and closed their eyes. She sniffled as she scooped Dragon up in her arms. ‘She didn’t deserve this. No one did.’ Mooms looked to Novia, and picked herself up to follow her out of the cornucopia. They walked through the field of wildflowers – Mooms picking an assortment as she trailed behind Novia. She gently laid Dragon’s body under an oak sapling at the edge of the meadow and Mooms gingerly set the bundle of flowers on her chest. For several minutes, no one spoke.

“Th- this is just the f- first of many, isn’t it?” Mooms’ voice cracked.

Novia was silent, tears returning to her eyes as she embraced Mooms. 

~~~

About a mile into the forest Zagreus marched on, oblivious to the world around him. His breathing was shallow and he was glassy eyed. ‘If I hadn’t done anything Dragon would have killed Skye,’ he tried to tell himself, but true as it may have been, it brought him no comfort. A sudden noise behind him brought him back to reality. He narrowly dodged the blade of a katana and turned to face his assailant. ‘Goddammit, of course I left the sword,’ he cursed himself as he beheld his opponent.

Raven stared him down – if looks could kill she would not need the sword. A fracture of a moment both were still, then Raven lunged forward to take a swipe at his head. Ducking under the blade, he rolled to the other side of her, head spinning wondering how on earth he could get an edge on her. She didn’t give him much time to think, swinging the blade as she spun to face him. ‘Fuck fuck fuck’ was all that was running through Zagreus’ mind. He ran through the trees, his only hope to get some distance between him and her. She followed close behind, unwilling to lose sight of her prey. Suddenly, he had an idea. He ran towards a newer section of the forest full of young saplings. He slowed his pace by a fraction – she needed to be close for this to work. He glanced over his shoulder to see her hot on his heels. ‘Perfect.’ Without warning, he grabbed the branch of a nearby tree an released it, smacking her right in the face. She stumbled backwards and lost her grip on the katana. Zagreus snatched it and held the razor-sharp point to her neck.

She continued to stare him down. “What are you waiting for? You have won.” He hesitated. “Go on. No one will hate you for it. I am nothing.”

Zagreus’ expression softened somewhat. “Why do you say that?”

Raven narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean? I am feared and despised by all. It is better for me to die – people actually care about you.”

“I don’t fear you,” Zagreus replied, taking the sword from her throat. He chuckled. “I actually enjoy you when you’re not trying to kill me, Birdie.”

Raven sat up some, face flooded with confusion. “You are not going to kill me?”

“Nah,” he stuck the sword in the dirt. “I’ve had enough bloodshed for today,” he answered before walking away. “See you around, Birdie,” he called over his shoulder.


	3. Sunset

“Oh hey, I was wondering when you’d come back,” Novia mustered a weak smile as she saw Zagreus approaching the clearing. In his arms he carried a bundle of wood.

“I was just getting firewood, don’t get your panties in a twist, puke rock.” He smirked as he laid the bundle down. “It’ll be dark before we know it. We should make a fire or something.”

“Alright,” she pushed herself up. “Lemme see if I can find anything worth cooking.” Picking up a bag and several ropes, she headed off towards the river. “Shouldn’t be too long.”

He watched her a few moments after she left, then looked towards the cornucopia to see Mooms organizing supplies. “How – how is she?”

Slightly startled, her shoulders relaxed when she recognized the gremlin. “I think she’ll be ok,” she set some lighter fluid to the side and started counting match boxes. “Snix managed to stop the bleeding. Hopefully she’ll be better in a couple of days.” Her hand paused over a stray bottle. “I’m really worried about infection – I couldn’t find any medicine here, but Snix swears pine sap makes a good antiseptic.” She let out a defeated sigh.

At the mention of their name, Snix looked up from the corner of the room. They had been sitting patiently next to Skye, wishing they could do more for her. Skye groaned in her sleep and grimaced, clutching her side. ‘I’ve done all I can do,’ Snix told themself as they stood up and brushed the dust off their pants. Red-stained sleeves caught their eye and they promptly pulled off their hoodie. “What’s our game plan here? What’re we supposed to do?” they asked no one in particular, hands on their hips.

Zagreus scoffed. “Try not to die I guess.”

“Stop it.” Snix snapped. Mooms and Zagreus looked at the child, taken aback by their sudden change in tone. “We’re not doing that – not already. We can’t let this guy get to our heads that quickly.” They balled up their fists in determination. “We need to find the others – the ones who ran off. We’re all scared, but if we can find everyone maybe we can work together to find a solution that doesn’t end in everyone’s death.”

“You heard that psycho,” Zagreus threw up his hands in frustration. “’The only way out is death.’ How are we supposed to challenge some mysterious asshole that has the power to yoink us out of the fabric of reality?”

Snix furrowed their eyebrows in an expression of slight frustration and unshakable determination. “We’ve already lost if we don’t try. I don’t want to give up that quickly.”

“I’m not a fighter,” Mooms joined in. “The last thing I want to do is hurt any of you.” She bit her lip, staring at the ground a handful of moments before looking up again. “We have nothing to lose by sticking together. If there’s a possibility we can get out of this without losing anyone else -” her voice trailed off as she surveyed the meadow. “Then I think we need to pursue that possibility.”

Snix grinned and a familiar bounce returned to their step. “Then let’s do it!”

“Alright, sounds nice and all, but the sun’s setting. It’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Zagreus reminded. “I’ll work on a fire.”

~~~

The ravine gave way to a creek which flattened out to the mouth of a lake. Skizzlers paused at the edge of the water to take in the view – the day was stained orange as the sun began it’s lazy decent, the clouds adorned with their ethereal pink halos. The lake stretched out for at least a mile, the surface shining and shimmering with seeming delight at the completion of yet another day. ‘I’d be lucky to do the same,’ she thought to herself before spinning around wide-eyed. Professor returned her stare, each of them stiff with fear and uncertainty. “I don’t want a fight,” she assured as she dropped her spear.

He glanced her over briefly. “I don’t want one either.”

She bit her lip as she considered the options before her. “Maybe we could stick together for at least a night?” she gestured to the spear lying on the ground. “One of us could try to catch some fish and the other could make a fire?” she offered.

A few moments of contemplation and he shakily nodded his head.

By the time they had fish and a fire, the sun had touched the horizon, staining it red.

Skizzlers chuckled to herself. “It’s been years since I’ve eaten fish. I used to go fishing with my mom and stepdad all the time when I was a little kid,” she reminisced. “God, that was forever ago.”

“Wish that were me,” Professor returned. “I hate fish,” he tossed aside what remained of the bass and twiddled his thumbs for a minute. “I booked it as soon as the timer hit zero, but I heard a canon,” he sighed and glanced at her. “Did you… See what happened?”

She hugged her knees to her chest and looked out over the water. “I didn’t stick around long, but I heard lots of screaming,” a lone tear rolled down her face. “I saw Dragon stab Skye,” she stated very matter-of-factually, all emotion in her tone gone.

Professor opened his mouth to speak, but could find no proper reply – what reply could there be? He looked to the ground solemnly, then to the sky. “I’ve been thinking,” he began. “How real can all of this be? I mean it feels real, but do you think we’ll actually die here?” When no response came, he continued. “Before I was brought to the void, I was just writing in my bedroom. Do you think we’ll just return to what we were doing before if we die in here?”

A weak chuckle escaped her as she glanced back at him. “It’s a nice theory, but not one I’m too excited to test out.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” his voice trailed off.

Cicadas and frogs began to sing their songs, inviting the night to fall upon them as Skizzlers and Professor sat watching the sun dip below the horizon in in a fiery blaze. Not a word was uttered as they watched the sky melt from vibrant pink, to cool lavender, before finally dissolving into navy blue. Neither had ever seen the stars more vibrant before.

~~~

Twigs stumbled, barely catching herself on a tree. ‘God, I’m fucked aren’t I?’ she thought as she coughed up blood. ‘I can’t go on.’ She half fell, half slid to the base of the tree wincing the whole way down. She tried to ignore the iron taste in her mouth as she spotted the lake through the trees. The moon’s reflection on the water seemed to be shaking as much as she was. ‘I should have ran from the cornucopia,’ was all she could think, but it was too late for second chances - Whipple’s machete had already done it’s work. ‘Is this really how I’m going to die?’ She wondered as she looked at the blood on her hands. As the seconds dragged on her eyelids grew heavier. ‘I’m so… tired.’

A canon booms.


	4. A Promise

Dozens of birds sung as the sun peeked over the horizon. Skizzlers snored, oblivious to the world around her. She turned in her sleep, drowsily cursing the sun as it shone on her face. Brief relief came when a shadow loomed over her.

"Psst, Skizz," a voice beckoned.

"Ugh... Fuck off…"

"Skizz, look!" The voice continued. She turned with an irritated groan and barely opened one eye. Before her were two blurry people - or was it three? She blinked a couple of times and saw Shura and Spot on either side of Professor, who wore a huge grin. "I found simps!"

She continued to stare blankly, gears in her head struggling to turn as sleep wore off. "That's nice," she managed as she stretched. Begrudgingly she sat up, yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Oh," was all she mustered when she realized where they were and why. She stared into the dull ashes of last night's fire as Spot spoke up.

"Yesterday Shura and I found a cave!"

"And I found mint - we made tea!" Shura chimed in.

Despite the situation Skizzlers couldn't help but smile at them. They never seemed to let go of each other's hands and they were always smiling. Sometimes she would catch Spot absent-mindedly staring at Shura, only for Shura to notice and kiss them on the forehead. "Show us this cave of yours then," Skizzlers said with a chuckle.

The four of them marched on by the edge of the water, the cave only a short walk from where Professor and Skizzlers had camped. Nevertheless, a strange rustling caught Skizzlers' attention. Pausing, she watched the trio continue. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the trees on the ridge, but nothing was readily visible. 'That must be the cave they were talking about, I'll meet them there once I find out what that noise was' she told herself as she climbed the slope, spear raised.

The forest was too quiet. There was no birdsong, no squirrel cries, nothing but her footsteps in the decaying leaves. She tried to suppress the feeling of impending doom as she studied everything around her. A sudden yelp and thud made Skizzlers’ heart jump out of her chest. She whirled around, eyes wide and spear held to a familiar face.

“Hi mom!” Floof cheerfully greeted, seemingly indifferent to the spear held to his nose.

“Oh god,” she finally let herself breathe and lowered her spear. “It’s only you. How’re you doing, kiddo?” 

“I’m pretty good! I slept in a tree and I caught some squirrels!” he giddily held up a pair by their tails. “You want one?”

Chuckling, she offered a hand to help him off the ground. “Sure, hon,” they walked off through the trees.

Perhaps fifty feet away, someone watched them with narrowed eyes and bow in hand.

“Wait, wasn’t Skizz right behind us?” Spot noticed with a twinge of worry.

Professor looked around slightly disappointed, but not surprised. “She said she just wanted to camp for the night. Maybe she thought it would be better to travel alone.” There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, then Shura spoke.

“Well, this is our cave. It’s a bit dark, but it’s out of the way and dry.” A smile returned to her face.

“Any place with you is perfect for me,” Spot rested their head on her shoulder. Professor sat near the edge of the cave, trying desperately to hide his cheeky grin and wishing he had a camera. 

He bit his lip as he realized something. “Have either of you eaten since yesterday?”

A nervous chuckle escaped Spot and they avoided his eyes. “I uh – nope.” 

He ruffled their hair and smiled. “I saw some blackberry bushes not too far from here, let’s see what we can find.” 

The trio were quite cheerful considering the circumstances. They walked up the ridge and through the trees to find a clearing surrounded with blackberry bushes on all sides.

“Oh, this is perfect!” Shura exclaimed as she led Spot by the hand to the bushes. All the berries were a deep black, perfectly ripe.

“Oh damn, these are sweet,” Spot noted as they popped a couple in their mouth. 

“Not as sweet as you,” Shura returned. Spot giggled nervously and hid their pink face behind their hands. 

Professor wandered off to give the lovebirds some space. The two of them silently picked berries for a while before Shura spoke up. “How long do you think we’ll even be here?” She fiddled with her hands a moment. “What happens if it comes down to the two of us?” Tears threatened to spill over.

“If it’s just us two, I guess you’ll be the winner,” Spot noted somberly as they tucked a strand of hair behind Shura’s ear. 

“No, please don’t say that.” her voice cracked as a tear raced down her face. “I couldn’t possibly hurt you, baby.”

“It’ll be ok. We’ll stick together until the end.” Spot pressed their forehead to Shura’s. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

But they spoke too soon. Perched in a tree some thirty feet away, Light had the couple in her sights. An exhale, and she loosed an arrow. A pained gasp was all Shura could manage initially.

Spot’s eyes were wide with horror. “No no no no no…” tears were already blurring their vision as they held her. “No no no, Sugar, no, please don’t do this to me,” they tried and failed to hold back sobs.

“Spot – Sweetleaf,” she managed between ragged gasps. “Listen to me,” She met their eyes and held their face in her hand. “You need to press on. You can’t let this drag you down.” She winced.

Both voice and spirit breaking, Spot gasped between sobs. “Sugar, how am I supposed to go on without you?”

“If you can’t go on for yourself… go on for me… please.” her breathing was becoming more and more ragged as the seconds passed. Her expression briefly shifted from delirium to determination. “You have to win, love. Please… please don’t die.”

Spot shakily nodded. 

“Promise me.”

“I promise,” their voice cracked again.

Shura was barely holding on now – her last words were hardly more than a whisper. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” they choked. Holding her body close to them, they wept bitterly.

At the sound of the canon. Professor raced back. ‘Oh god, please no’ was all he could think as he sprinted through the forest. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the two of them. ‘Oh dear god...’ was all he could manage to think. He stood in silence several minutes, mouth agape. Tears began to spill down his face as he slowly walked towards the two. He dropped to his knees next to Spot, gently laying a hand on their shoulder. They looked to him, face smeared with tears and snot and embraced him, sobbing on his shoulder.

“Get up, get up you lazy lump!” Snix repeatedly poked Zagreus with a stick. 

He groaned his annoyance. “What the fuck do you want, you caffeinated fuzzball?”

“It’s almost noon dude, you’ve been sleeping all day!” they continued poking.

Zagreus grabbed the stick and snapped it in half. “Give me half a fucking minute,” he griped as he threw the stick. Snix merely shrugged their shoulders and walked away.

“Alright, I’ve got traps set up all over the other side of the river, so don’t go that way,” Novia announced as she walked into camp. She paused when she noticed Mooms looking though the supplies with a furrowed brow. “You good, Mooms?”

“I swear we had two bottles of lighter fluid and like five matchboxes last night, where the hell did it go?” she continued to rifle through containers.

“Well, I hope you find it. Are we ready?” She called over her shoulder. 

“Heck yeah!” Snix ran to her side with a hatchet in hand. 

“Give that to me before you hurt yourself,” Zagreus grumbled, still wiping sleep from his eyes.

“Well someone’s up early – get all your beauty rest, princess?” Novia quipped.

“At least I sleep correctly,” he said, emphasis on the last word as he glanced towards an annoyed Mooms. “Let’s move out.”

Snix was practically vibrating with excitement. “This is gonna be awesome! We’re gonna fix every-” another canon. A shiver ran throughout the small group. 

“Come on,” Zagreus growled as he started the hike. “We’re running out of time.”

The trio headed off though the forest towards the lake. They had to find people - they had to save everyone who wasn’t already dead. Even Snix was rather somber as they trudged through the trees. Unbeknownst to them, they had attracted a follower. Light crept close behind, unwilling to let the three leave her sight. The group stopped to argue, giving her the perfect shot. She raised her bow and drew her arrow, but just as she had Zagreus in her sights, a katana stabbed through her chest.


End file.
